


and they were villains!

by EtchJetty



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Parahumans Series - Wildbow
Genre: Collaboration, Gen, Self-Insert
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-10
Updated: 2021-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-16 17:28:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 45
Words: 12,086
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29953431
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EtchJetty/pseuds/EtchJetty
Summary: A bunch of writers got together and played a game -- click "Random Page" on the Worm Wiki, and write a snip about yourself or an OC having those powers in the MCU. (Not all of these snips are self-inserts, not all of these snips are very long at all -- this is an adaptation of loose Discord messages, just being collected on AO3. We hope you enjoy!)
Relationships: Pepper Potts & Tony Stark
Comments: 5
Kudos: 34





	1. What a Nice Girl

**Author's Note:**

> oh my god they were villains

It was almost like watching cogs turn in a machine. Streams of people standing in line, badging in, opening doors, everything nearly robotic. I got at the back and stepped in tune with the rest of the agents. Except once I was at the front, I gave the guard on duty a smile and shrug.

"Sorry, it seems I've misplaced mine. I hope you don't mind if I cut through this one time. I'm already late for a meeting."

The guard gave me a once over and shook his head with a smile. 

"For you? Of course, don't worry about it. Have a nice rest of your day." 

"Of course," I yelled back with a wave, already rushing down a corridor "I'll see you later in the cafeteria."

The guard waved back before I was around a corridor and moving through the halls. From here, things became a bit more testy. The agents split off, diverted, routed themselves and I found myself lost within mere minutes. A quick run in with a director set me on the right track and it wasn't long before I found myself outside what I was looking for.

The vault. I didn't know exactly _what_ was in it, but it was worth guarding and I could hazard a few guesses.

"Excuse me," I asked the guard on duty, "if it wouldn't be too much trouble, would you be able to let me in?"

The guard sighed and shrugged. "I'm sorry, but even for you, I can't let anyone in without explicit permission from Director Fury. Only he's allowed permission to pop this thing open."

I gave a rascally smile and asked, "would you be kind enough to point me towards his office."

"For a nice girl like you? Of course."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Power: [Nice Guy](https://worm.fandom.com/wiki/Nice_Guy#Abilities_and_Powers)
> 
> Author: Chartic


	2. Murder Rat (1)

It's not uncommon to fall down in New York. 

Just a scrape on the knee or something. High profile businesswomen have to wear high profile -- er, high heels. And those can be a real inconvenience.

It took a lot of doing to figure out what my power counted as "inflicting" wounds, but I think I mostly figured it out, as well as how to minimize the worsening effect for as long as possible. 

And thus, I tripped Pepper Potts outside of Stark Tower, and she scraped her knee. 

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry," I said. "I'm so sorry."

"That's fine," she said, picking up her things. I handed her a folder that was slightly out of reach. "That's fine. Thanks."

And she went into the building, and I went to a nearby cafe, and simply waited.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Power: Murder Rat
> 
> Author: EtchJetty


	3. Chapter 3

Steve slapped a hand against the side of his motorcycle. The hulk of a bike rocked back and forth, but still stubbornly refused to start.

“Hey, so sorry to bother,” he called as he hailed down one of the milling SHIELD drones. She skittered over, nervous as everyone was around him, blonde hair curtaining her face. He gestured helplessly at his bike. “Usually it starts up a lot easier. I’d take it back to the armory, but we just did the Avengers Assemble thing five minutes ago. Any idea what’s wrong?”

“Not sure, sir,” she said. “Have you tried turning it off and on again?”

Steve sighed, pinched the bridge of his nose, counted to ten. Maybe today was just a slow start.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Power: [Winter](https://worm.fandom.com/wiki/Winter#Abilities_and_Powers)
> 
> Author: Fishtail


	4. Chapter 4

The Ancient One walked to the door. Strange was early in this timeline, it seemed. What an odd consequence of that dimensional anomaly their scrying specialists had observed.

Except, opening the door, the Ancient One found herself confronted by a woman who was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike Strange.

"Miss Ancient One," she began, "I wish to train as your student."

The Ancient One looked the mysterious woman over. Her hair was a bright neon blue, pulled into two long pigtails running down her back. The bright blue makeup and shocking teal eyes stood out drastically against her dark skin. Her lipstick was also blue to match her hair, and the Ancient One found herself wondering what would bring a woman like... this... to such a spiritual place.

"I will have to administer a test, miss..."

"Blue. Blue Yoshimura."

"Miss Yoshimura then. Come in."

"So, what brings you here, Miss Yoshimura? What do you seek from this place?"

Blue bit her lip. "Being totally real with you here, I want knowledge and more importantly wisdom."

"Quoting fortune cookies isn't enough to endear you to me, you realize," The Ancient One said.

"No! No, I mean it. I'm used to being part of-- a group, I guess. A coalition, maybe. Having people here with me that can help rein in my impulsivity and energy," Blue said.

"I see."

Blue waved her hands and kept talking. "See, I want to-- to change things. To make things different, make them better. This world is-- choked by capitalism. Children in factories, children in cages, cameras everywhere..."

The Ancient One blinked. This woman suddenly sounded a lot less stable. "I'm not sure our monastery is the right place for you."

"Ah!" Blue waved her hands in front of her. "No, no, see, that's the thing it definitely is. But I just wanted to say I'm very sorry, and I'd rather not hurt anyone while I'm... fixing this."

"Wha--"

It was at this moment that a second Blue clocked the Ancient One in the back of the head with a lead pipe. Blue whispered, "Sorry," again and fell backwards into a golden portal.

The Ancient One rose their astral self from their unconscious body. this usurper would _not_ leave here alive.

The problem was, apparently, she already _had_. Blue herself was everywhere, and as the Ancient One attempted to reach the time stone in order to safeguard it, she found it had already vanished from its podium.

A golden portal appeared in front of her astral form, and a Blue stepped out wearing the time stone around her neck.

"Fuck, where the hell is a book on scrying!"

The Ancient One gathered a spell around her, ready to strike--

And another Blue was in front of her, raising a shield artefact to block it. Why were there so many? What was she doing, what kind of power did she have?

Blue pulled out her phone. A video call. She was on a video call.

"Hey future me, we good?"

"Yeah, pop open that portal and become me already so we can get a move on."

"God, I hate time shit."

"It's only gonna get worse with the magic rock around your neck."

"Ugh, don't remind me."

The Ancient One watched as the sacred, prophesied treasure of her sanctum vanished into a glowing portal, leaving her floating there in a ransacked monastery.

"Fuck," she said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Power: [Phir Se](https://worm.fandom.com/wiki/Phir_S%C4%93#Abilities_and_Powers)
> 
> Author: Blue


	5. Countdown (1)

My nails were bleeding and I couldn't tell if I had ripped something off while building or I'd bitten them down to the skin. I was on a time limit, didn't have the chance to really worry about it. I ran a finger through my hair, trying to get it out of my face. Greasy, but not _too_ greasy. I'd be fine without showering for a few more days.

String Theory had made the G-Drive, a device so powerful it had knocked Scion out of the atmosphere. Hell, the F-Drive would have been enough to take the moon out of commission. I wasn't String Theory. I was starting from the bottom.

Blowing up a football field? What was the purpose? Something to get your name out there sure, but also the cops looking for you and a bounty on your head. A big fucking waste of time and resources. I was weak, pathetic. Wouldn't last ten seconds against the first avenger that came knocking through my door. Not even the first agent. I could run, I could build, probably keep a low profile even, but once this got started they'd be looking for me. I was on a time limit.

That was fine. It was when I worked best.

Drones buzzed around me, slotting the final parts into place, but it was with my own two hands that I plugged the power cable into the generator I'd constructed. It hummed and the sound shook it's way though my bones. My vision even distorted for a moment before snapping back into place.

That may have been sleep deprivation. It was difficult to tell.

Targets. There were too many to even think about. I ran through the most promising in my head. Washington DC? Throw the US into crisis. Shanghai? Something like that could start a war. Stark Tower? _Very_ tempting but no.

String Theory had aimed for the moon. I was looking just a little bit lower.

Once things really got rolling I was going to be at my weakest. Halfway through building a device, I wouldn’t be truly capable of defending myself until it was done. I could build things to protect me but it was a dangerous gambit. Too much effort spent on extraneous work and I’d hit my time limit and that was something I could not allow to happen. So what to do? Remove the need for a defense. Take out your aggressors before they have the chance to aggress.

My program locked onto the S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier. The invisible ship was crisp clear in my sights. Like an aircraft carrier floating it’s way over Minnesota. It looked so surreal, like a video game.

Two minutes left. I let a giggle ripple out. Just a laugh, because it was all so funny. So far down to the wire, the razor's edge that my power gave me. A minute left. The lights flashed green and I clicked enter.

And then the whole world was light.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Power: [String Theory](https://worm.fandom.com/wiki/String_Theory#Abilities_and_Powers)
> 
> Author: Chartic


	6. Act One, Scene 8

"You know," I say to my audience, "I've always considered myself a decent person." They fortunately did nothing. I continue. "Not good. I'm no angel. I've lied, cut corners, made mistakes. All the same, I never tried to hurt someone on purpose. Did my best to make decisions that would have a positive impact on the world. Not good. Just...decent. Felt that was the best I could do, in a world like mine." I sigh, and turn to the window. The final preparations are done. Actors set, props in place. Now there's just the denouement. 

I wonder, briefly, if my sudden flair for the dramatic is a product of my passenger, or if this was always there, waiting for the opportunity- the permission- to show itself. The line between who I was and who I am is blurred, and it blurs with each passing day. Maybe I'm becoming her. Maybe she's becoming me. Maybe we'll blend into something hitherto unknown. And there is no stopping it. I'm a chemical reaction already underway: the only question now is how long I'll burn. 

It doesn't matter. There's work to be done. 

"I'm still trying to be a decent person." I say to the unconscious bodies on the floor of this apartment, brushing my thumb against the detonator. "That's why I pulled the fire alarm ten minutes ago." 

I scar the horizon with the kindling of Stark Tower.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Power: [Bakuda](https://worm.fandom.com/wiki/Bakuda#Abilities_and_Powers)
> 
> Author: TheSleepingKnight


	7. Chapter 7

“The real Winter was a child soldier,” I grunt. “She was a more successful warlord than Skitter, she could shoot better than she could read, and she could take on an entire army.”

My companion doesn’t have anything to say about that.

“And then here I am.” Heave. “Wasting my time.” Ho. “On a fucking overpriced Funko Pop!”

Vision’s body _clangs_ against the top stair, slides down two steps, and halts. I crouch beside it and lean against the wall to rest.

“I swear, the others are gonna be so impressed when I bring you back,” I tell him. “Granted, you don’t have the stone like I thought, that was my bad, but I hear you’re worth a lot of money at least.”

Speaking of. I peep down the flight of stairs to check on our pursuers. Cap is still half a flight down, his stride so slow it's almost unnoticeable. Hawkeye is a ways behind him, an arrow already trudging toward me.

“At least I still have time,” I sigh, grabbing Vision by the wrists again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Power: [Winter](https://worm.fandom.com/wiki/Winter#Abilities_and_Powers)
> 
> Author: Fishtail


	8. Chapter 8

Alarms blared. Screams echoed. Men died.

I strode through bare grey corridors, painting the walls red in my wake. I felt they could do with some livening up.

Guns barked. Grenades popped. A ceiling-mounted railgun wailed.

I felt nothing, not even a tickle. A brave young soul clad in whirring armour charged me down with a roar of anguish. Trying to buy some time for his comrades to escape, or to avenge those who'd fallen?

It didn't matter. A lazy swipe parted his armour and his skin like wet tissue paper, and his insides sprayed.

"What do you want?" A voice from crackling speakers, one I recognised. Undoubtedly watching through surveillance cameras as I tore through the best S.H.I.E.L.D could bring to bear with contemptuous ease. I paused to listen. "What will it take to get you to stop?"

A smile played on my lips. It hadn't taken long after I woke up here to realise I could speak through the projection if I wanted to, but where would be the fun in that?

Fury could stew a little while longer. He wasn't going to die today, not by my hands, and I didn't need his cooperation to fulfill my mission.

Alarms blared. Screams echoed. Men died.

The door to Fury's office was two feet thick and filed with traps. I stepped through.

Lasers washed over my skin, claps of thunder bounced off my head, lashes of fire as hot as the sun tangled with my hair. I strode past it all.

Director Fury glared at me, the look in his eyes living up to his name. He held up a hand, and Black Widow and Hawkeye remained still.

"What do you want?" he asked once more.

I ignored him. I had eyes only for one man today.

Alexander Pearce tried to run, and I let him, savouring the chase.

Half a dozen blocks away, sitting in the back of a nondescript van, I grinned. Let the others do the flashy stuff, the big stuff, the show-stealing stuff. I'd content myself with killing at least one Nazi.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Power: [The Siberian](https://worm.fandom.com/wiki/The_Siberian#Abilities_and_Powers)
> 
> Author: OMEGA93


	9. Chapter 9

“Who are you?” Tony demanded. “Why are you doing this?!”

I followed in silence.

“Stop! Where did you come from? What are you even doing to me?” He staggered for a step, righted himself, only to collapse sideways on the sand.

I stood over him, waiting patiently for him to recuperate.

“I’ve been wandering through this desert for hours and you won’t even talk to me!” Shrugging the breastplate off, he pointed an accusatory finger at me. “Please, just call Rhodey. Call the Air Force or Stark Industries, we’ll compensate you well. I promise.”

“I don’t want your blood money, Stark,” I said. “I just think Captain Marvel would be a better entry point.”

“W-what?” he croaked. “What does that mean?”

“You’ll get it eventually,” I replied. I turned to go, disappearing into the shimmering heat of the desert.

[10 years later]

“Who are you?” Tony rasped to the glowing figure outside his ship. “Are you here to save me?”

“I’m Captain Marvel,” she said. “Don’t worry, help is here now.”

“You know, that is a better entry point,” Tony mused, and then he died in space millions of lightyears from earth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Power: [Winter](https://worm.fandom.com/wiki/Winter#Abilities_and_Powers)
> 
> Author: Fishtail


	10. Chapter 10

"Why?" Tony all but screams into the phone, watching his tower fall, smoke as thick as blood rises into the air. He can't even begin to imagine the reconstruction costs. "Why are you doing this?"

_"In a word?"_ The voice is low, muffled (perhaps a mask?) and there's not a hint of anger or glee. _"Regicide."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Power: [Bakuda](https://worm.fandom.com/wiki/Bakuda#Abilities_and_Powers)
> 
> Author: TheSleepingKnight


	11. Countdown (2)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lightly edited from its original form.

The Slaughterhome itself was a hive of activity, my drones buzzing to and fro as they built armageddon out of steel and copper. Blue dumped the armfuls of looted ancient magic tomes on one of the tables.

"Aight, sanctum shit did done get got. Thank goodness we're still in the first act, the villains always have the easiest time then."

-

It was always harder after a crash. I'd heard people describe tinkering as a fugue, but for me it was more of a dash. The moment you started going there wasn't any slowing down, no stopping. I was throwing myself down a mountain with an avalanche behind me and if I wanted to quit before I got to the bottom, I better not be there for when things do catch up. 

After all that sprinting though, there's always going to be a crash. Days spent on edge, rushing to get things down, program apps, build drones and then have the drones construct more. No time for myself, not even enough to browse online.

My twitter feed was shamefully underused. 

I lay on the couch I'd woken up on. Too tired to move and all my muscles aching from constant use. People passed around me and someone had been kind enough to drape a blanket on me, but no one was bothering me. The B-Drive lay in the corner, half melted from one use and the power cores fully blown. 

I'd have to go bigger next time. 

I stared at the machine and then the group of villains wandering around the attached kitchen. 

"Does anyone still have a working car," I asked. 

With two tinkers in the household it was surprising how many things wound up taken apart and put into a creation.

"Cause there's a huge fucking mess of expensive material and rare parts lying around in some corn fields and I'd like to get my hands on some of it."

"Just pop a camera drone out and pass me the screen, I can bounce you out there," Blue shrugged.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Powers: String Theory, Phir Se
> 
> Authors: Chartic, Blue (first segment before the dash)


	12. The Laughing Begins

Everything changes when you remove time and space as a limiting factor. When you can cross vast distances in the blink of an eye, cross the gap in the street in an intake of breath.... The world opens up. Let alone the strength, the control.

Sometimes I almost missed being able to communicate it all.

My thoughts were lazy as I sped through the slowly drifting environment. Of people reacting too late, of doors shutting like molasses, of the muted sounds of a world that was just too slow.

I liked to imagine that my thoughts and sounds, the vibrations I created, made up for it. Little treasures left behind.

Oh, right. I'd almost forgotten. I was here for someone.

When you work faster than a material is designed for, it can be both the worst blockage or melted butter. Doors frequently were the latter, unless they were locked. But heroes? They don't lock their doors. Why should they, they think. What could possibly bother them.

They were just a little too slow in the end. Stepping into the great laboratory, the inner sanctum tucked away beneath steel and sky, I slowly take apart machine after machine. Like the caress of death, the subtle touch of time, flipping slowly through the wires and connections. And with a gentle kiss, a feather touch, I watched it all begin to topple.

There was no need to watch. I hummed a sailor's tune as I retraced my steps.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Power: [Laughjob](https://worm.fandom.com/wiki/Laughjob)
> 
> Author: 8


	13. Murder Rat (2)

"HEY!"

I stopped walking, and turned around. God damnit. Never walk in an alley in MCUNYC. 

"Bless you," said the wall-crawler. "Are you Abigail Thorn?"

My heart pounded. Shit, I was so bad at names. 

The day that I was infiltrating Stark Tower to plant the Bakuda bombs, a guard had asked me my name as I left, and I panicked, and said the first cool one that came to mind. 

"Why do you ask?" I said. "Are you a fan of my YouTube show?"

I didn't think YouTube was a thing in the MCU, but whatever. 

"What the hell?" said Spider-Man. "No! You were there that day."

"Which day?"

"Stark Tower. When it exploded."

"...Yes?"

Spider-Man hopped off the wall. 

"Did you know that Happy Hogan was one of six victims of the bombing?"

I hadn't. I tried not to think about the actual violence we'd committed. Frankly, with technology like Bakuda’s, I was amazed it was only six. 

"To be fair," I tried, "he ruined the Lion King reboot."

Spider-Man leapt into the air and tried to tackle me. On pure, terrified instinct, I teleported to the nearest tag I had. 

I found the familiar smoke fading away to reveal that I had found myself inside of a hospital. An older woman was coughing, the smoke generated by my power very clearly being ejected from her lungs. 

She lifted her bony finger and pointed at me.

_"You,"_ she said. "You gave me five dollars for cigarettes once!"

"I mean I just found the money on the ground--"

"Now I'm dying!"

Oh my god. 

"I _hate_ my power," I muttered, and left the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Power: Murder Rat
> 
> Author: EtchJetty


	14. Countdown (3)

String Theory was a buffoon. An idiot. All the power in the world and she had contented herself with building lasers. 

I stared down at a lab notebook with a veritable wealth of ideas.

Wall Street could be destroyed in a moment. A single blast and all that money nothing but grains of sand. All those people, those institutions destroyed utterly. For DC I could imagine a time dilation effect. They drag their feet, now have the entire city dragging itself into a dome of hyper-slowed time, spending an eternity rushing to the edges to free themselves. 

So many ideas, so many ideas.

A monster, bigger than godzilla. It would take years of work, but I could do it. Plant? Animal? As long as the incubation chamber was a one shot thing, it was possible. Boil the world's oceans, send the skies crashing down, bend gravity to my whim, even send the world into another ice age. 

All there and all capable of being done.

I put down my notebook and took a step back. My powers were like a rocket, rushing off before I even had the chance to realize it. Planning machines years in advance of their completion. Steps to get to that point and with my input ways to cut out time.

What was I doing? 

My hands were covered in bruises and cuts. So many injuries on the job, I couldn't even remember getting most of them. Burns from a soldering iron I'd dropped. 

I was tired. 

My foot beat restlessly on the floor and I almost started biting at my fingers before catching myself. 

Was there an end goal? There always was, but it was that moment, that singular moment of completion. No thoughts besides that. An explosion that led into a bigger one. More chaos to sneak away in. More havoc to mask my own machinations. 

Everything led up to one end only and that was death. 

I tucked my notebook back into my desk and used a drone to carry over a blanket. I needed to sleep. I needed to sleep and figure out where to go from here. 

What next? For once, my power didn't answer me.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Power: String Theory
> 
> Author: Chartic


	15. Ha.... Ha.... Ha…

Left. Light. Snapping to the side. Car. No. Bigger.

Target.

Step. Blink. Step. Punch into door. Rip door off. Enter. Left. Right. Target. Blink. Rip wires. Take out console.

Turn.

Smash.

Smash.

**Smash.**

Blood. Warped metal. Bone. Brain. Death.

Silence.

Turn. Leave. Done.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Power: Laughjob
> 
> Author: 8


	16. Chapter 16

"You know, where my powers are from, we have an inescapable prison for villains too. It's called the Birdcage, and it holds monsters. The Raft is a fine name, I suppose, but it's just so limited. You don't put the real monsters here, because you know you can't keep them. Abomination is kept in stasis in the middle of the wilderness. Loki was sent back to Asgard, and you just thank whatever gods you believe in that the rogue was the villain, not the society of immortal gods who thrive on war. What if you had to hold Vision? Or Hulk? Or Strange?"

General Ross looked like he wanted to say something, but was having trouble finding the words. What a disappointment, but not uncommon. I'd have gotten a better conversation over a phone, but he hadn't been willing to talk then.

"The really funny thing, General Ross, is that while you're barely competent at holding villains, that's not your biggest problem. Your biggest problem is that you don't even try to hold the _real_ problems."

I turned back to the computer, and found it connected to SIPRNet. I sighed. "Of course not, they're the ones in charge. Don't worry, General. I have _plans_ for this place, and it's going to need expansions by the time I've finished filling the cells with worthy occupants."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Power: [Snowmann](https://worm.fandom.com/wiki/Snowmann#Abilities_and_Powers)
> 
> Author: Torvaun


	17. Chapter 17

_“That’s_ what I’m tellin’ ya, you just wind ‘em up and let ‘em go!”

The Watcher let out a chuckle that evolved into a knee-slapping belly laugh. I joined in. 

“I know! I never thought it could be this fun to pop in and piss people off like that.”

“Oh, harmless fun doesn’t care what universe you’re in. It’s the same barrel of laughs everywhere.” He eyed me over his sunglasses. “Now, you’re not planning to mess things up too much, are ya?”

I gave him my best look of wide-eyed horror. “Who, me?”

“Ah, who am I kidding. That’s why I invited you kids, isn’t it?” He slapped me on the shoulder. “Get out there and have some more fun. Give ‘em hell for me, alright?”

I saluted him. “Sir, it would be my honor.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Power: Winter
> 
> Author: Fishtail


	18. Chapter 18

Blue was so lonely these days. Oh, sure, she was with her friends, out there, making a difference, fucking up the status quo, but. She was also-- it was just her. One person, one body, just her all the time. No way to slip into the back, no way to give someone else the reins, just her and absurd amounts of power and these dumb fucking magic books that made no fucking sense to her.

Why did she have to be the stupid one? If only Topaz was here. She'd have this magic shit figured out in a heartbeat. As it was, Blue couldn't even open the damn lockbox the time stone was in.

She was just not cut out for all this time shit. Hes could plan. Topaz could learn. Kyo could fight. Pedro could keep a team together. Blue...

Blue was the worst one to be here. The worst one for power this incredible. She didn't know what to do or how to fix anything, and while she loved her friends they were all so focused on tearing down the old.

What was the new going to be?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Powers: Phir Se
> 
> Author: Blue


	19. Chapter 19

"Gentlemen. Romanoff. Stark. I expected you three minutes ago." I glance at the earth's mightiest heroes, cloaked in power and with grim purpose written on their faces. "Dr. Banner won't be joining us then. A shame. He would have made this more interesting." 

"Oh, pal. I promise, you're not gonna be bored." Iron Man growls, electronics scrambling his voice in an attempt at intimidation. "Not once I'm through with you."

"Through with me, Stark?" I intone. "Whatever could you mean?"

"You're a fucking terrorist, and you're gonna get exactly what you deserve." He promises, leveling his repulsion at me, the technology whining as it prepares to deliver it's explosive payload. 

"What I deserve." I whisper. "What do you deserve, Stark? Why did you track me down with your little friends? Revenge? For an ugly monument to your ego? My life for all that glass and steel?"

"Do you have any idea how many people you killed?" Stark demands. 

"Six." I tell him. "Alana Stone. Nathan Sullivan. Mark Willies. Jeremy Clarke. Selena Rodriguez. Happy Hogan. I remember their names, Stark. I remind myself every night that it was my error that caused their deaths." I lean forwards in my chair, glad my mask allowed me to conceal that my eyes were firmly locked on Hawkeye and Widow, rather than Iron Man. "Do you know the names of those you've killed? Can you even begin to guess at the number? Or do you pretend because it wasn't your hand pulling the trigger, it absolves you of guilt? That a bomb is just a bomb, neither good nor evil, till it is triggered? That your fortune isn't slicked with blood?" I scoff. "If we're measuring by body count, you are the most prolific murderer here." 

Stark doesn't say anything.

I'm not surprised when the blasts fly. 

In fact, you could say I was counting on it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Power: Bakuda
> 
> Author: TheSleepingKnight


	20. Murder Rat (3, FINALE)

"It just keeps getting worse."

Jimmy flexed his hand. Two days ago, he had been working his normal shift at his honey-glazed nuts stand. Licensed stand, mind you, not like those cheap knockoffs over on Fifth Ave. 

While handing over a bag of honey glazed almonds, she accidentally knocked his hand on a hot metal surface, and his skin burned slightly. He smiled and shook it off, but she looked really worried, and offered to call the hospital. 

Jimmy said no. 

This might be a city of heroes, but none of them were willing to cover medical insurance for him. He'd just spent his savings on getting a license for his cart. Going to the hospital for a minor burn, the kind he'd gotten dozens of times in the months and years he's worked at food stands like these? 

Thanks, he told the girl, but no thanks. 

Now he wished he had taken her up on her offer. He was simply at a restaurant with his friend Hank, and his hand was bandaged in dozens of layers of ace bandages. 

He didn't want to think about what it looked like underneath the bandage. 

"Do you think it's infected, maybe?" asked Hank. 

Jimmy shook his head. "There was no open flesh," he said. "Now there is, but there wasn't when I got the burn, and when it started to open I wrapped my hand immediately."

"But it keeps getting worse."

"I don't know what to think," admitted Jimmy. "I don't have the money for the hospital."

"We could try GoFundMe," offered Hank. "That's how Shayna's mother is paying for her lungs to be operated on."

"Yeah," said Jimmy. Then he hissed in pain. 

Hank frowned. He hated seeing his friend Jimmy -- Jimmy, who can stand all day in any weather selling anything -- in such obvious pain, to the point where tears were forming on the edges of his eyes. 

Hank also smelled smoke, which was the second reason he was frowning. 

The third reason he was frowning was because the smoke seemed to be coming from Jimmy's hand, flowing out from under the bandages.

It billowed and flowed, and soon half the room was filled with smoke, and Jimmy and Hank were both crying. 

When the smoke faded, a teenage girl was standing there.

She was wearing a cheap black face mask over her eyes, like something from Party City. It wasn't enough to hide that her eyes widened when she saw where she was. 

"Oh, fuck," she said. "Nut guy. Oh my god. I am. Oh fuck. I'm so sorry. If it's not better you need to go to the hospital. Pretty much any topical antibiotic will fix it. 

It took Jimmy a moment to recognize her voice. 

"You're the one who bumped my hand," he realized. 

"Again I am so, so sorry. I'm so sorry."

"You're the bitch who did this to me!"

"I'm so sorry. I can't -- it was an accident, and String Theory used the budget for the week, and--"

"I can't fucking work with an infected hand!"

"It's not infected, it's my-- I'm so sorry."

She reached behind her and pulled out a spray bottle. 

Jimmy stood up. "Don't you fucking--" and she pulled the spritzer, and he knew no more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Power: Murder Rat, [Newter](https://worm.fandom.com/wiki/Newter#Abilities_and_Powers)
> 
> Author: EtchJetty


	21. Chapter 21

"Oh, _fuck._ We've got incoming."

Blue blinked. "Already? But we haven't even finished building the Drive, how did they find us so fast?"

Char grimaced. "I don't know, but we have to do something! There's a fucking huge squad of Shield goons and Avengers on their way here right now!"

Blue's eyes widened. "You-- should I--"

"We can't lose the progress I've made. Our other heavy hitters are out. It's all you."

"But... the light bomb, I don't even know..."

"You can do it, Blue. I believe in you."

Blue stepped back through her portals, back in time. Her light bombs were already read, already charged, by the time Char's warning would come.

A lot of people were going to die.

But... they'd be able to fix it. Change things. The heroes held up a broken system, and sometimes you needed to scour things clean in order to start fresh.

Blue looked at the people rushing towards the Slaughterhome through the security feed. Human beings. With lives. And families.

A golden portal opened in the sky above them, and the camera feed went white.

When the light cleared, the soldiers were gone. The grass was gone. The top layer of soil was gone. What was left was a crater, a hemisphere. Vaporized. Empty.

All except for a handful of figures standing, blinking blind eyes, staggering forward. Captain, having somehow shielded himself from the blast. Thor, burnt, but pushing himself to his feet. The Hulk, engraged, lashing out at empty space.

Well, good. They-- it would be bad if they died, right? We really just wanted them to-- to go away. That was all. This was just a message, a warning shot. A warning shot with a four-digit body count.

One by one, I opened up portals beneath their feet. The Hulk into a livestream of a coral reef, Cap into a livestream of pitch slowly dripping down, Thor into the background of a Fortnite streamer's setup.

They'd be...fine. I'd be fine. We'd be fine.

"Taken care of, Char."

"Thanks, Blue. You're a lifesaver."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Powers: Phir Se, String Theory
> 
> Author: Blue


	22. wound

I never wanted to hurt anybody.

Really. I didn't pick where the dice landed. I wasn't in on the joke. 

(Story of my life, really—)

I hate this Hydra-not-SHIELD squad, still reeling from my entrance. I'm disgusted by my shaking hands, covered in broken glass, reedy and splayed open. I'd rather be anywhere else. Let the others deal with them. 

My power rushes forth. The world bends and twists and warps and sickens until not even scraps are left. I feel sick. 

(What _else_ ~~are you~~ good for?)

My friends made this new world better, through demolition and restoration. 

I twisted it into nothing. 

The world comes back into focus with screamed orders on loudspeaker. The door bursts open. Men in tac-gear, fingers on triggers, soaring flashbang. It bounces off the new moonscape, but the blast won't stun them long. Have to act fast. 

I never wanted to hurt anybody.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Power: Damsel of Distress
> 
> Author: tackeart


	23. wew


    "Salutations, good ministers! Might I inquire whereabout your leader is?"

None of the Hydra members reacted, their guns still trained on ENA. 

"Fire!"

They shot, and some of the bullets landed. ENA's face started twitching before going grey. 
    
    
    "Why... why awe you all so MEAN!"

ENA let out a wail, and then the guards were gone. 

She smiled. 
    
    
    "How nice of them to cooperate!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Power: [ENA](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhPaJURyApsoMQDaoft5t0l0iAwUOLtlM)
> 
> Author: EtchJetty


	24. Chapter 24

Could this still even be called phantom pain? It was real, right in front of my eyes, the allies around me turning to dust. Less than dust. Yet I felt them still lingering in the network. Too small to talk or hurt or do anything more than make me think I was on the edge of withering away to nothing at all myself. 

“It’s okay,” I said, unsure if they could even hear it as the wind took them away and out of my range.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Power: [Darlene Vasil](https://worm.fandom.com/wiki/Darlene_Vasil#Abilities_and_Powers)
> 
> Author: MarcoFro5


	25. Chapter 25

“Holy shit,” Bucky breathed as they approached the town center.

The area was mostly evacuated, but local authorities were reporting difficulties reaching the civilians nearest the effect. Once they stood within spitting distance, it was obvious why.

A crowd was fleeing towards him, making no progress as they ran. It was like they were jogging in place. Behind them, a tempest raged, but no rain or hail fell from the sky.

“This is weird,” Sam said, landing behind him. “I can see a girl at the center of the storm, but she’s not doing anything. No magic, no weather machines.”

“What, were we expecting an easy answer?” Bucky grunted. He slung a rifle off his shoulder and peered down the sights. “I don’t see her.”

“And that’s why I got the eagle eyes, and you get the shiny arm,” came the response. Sam raised his voice. “You in there! Are you an enhanced? Alien? We just want to talk!”

“What the fuck is an enhanced?” a voice drifted back. There was a pause. “You should really come up with some better names for superhumans, you know. I have a feeling you’ll be meeting a lot more.”

“Can she say that word?” Sam murmured. “Like, legally?”

Bucky rolled his eyes. “Make this easy on us, and we can help make things easy for you. We’re not your enemies here.”

“You wanna talk about naming rights?” the girl yelled. “I want _your_ name! Then we can talk.”

_“My name?”_ Bucky mouthed. Sam shrugged.

“That’s right,” she said. She stepped out of the swirling storm.

Bucky raised his gun as Sam’s hands dropped to his hips. Neither of them moved to pull the trigger. The girl smiled at them.

“Now _this_ is perfect. We can be the Falcon and Winter and the Soldier!” She tapped her chin. “Doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue, but it’s not like the original title was any better. Now!”

She stood on tiptoes to stare Bucky in the eyes, glassy and unfocused. “I’m building a little collection of vibranium body parts. I hope you don’t mind if I help myself.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Power: Winter
> 
> Author: Fishtail


	26. Did I Ever Tell You...?

Power. It was something everyone sought in their own way. Power over decisions, over lives, over facets of our universe... Over fate.

I didn't seek power. I sought to be the reminder of what power did to you. The boogeyman was too simple and distasteful of a term for me. I wasn't some mysterious freak lurking in the night.

I was the night lurking for you.

My friends had done their own tasks, their own way of striking out against the terrible sight of the world. With explosions, death, fear. Reminding people that no one was safe.

I was going to remind them that even their own minds weren't enough to protect them. It's not a glory job.

It's a necessary one.

I stepped into the office, tendrils of cosmic smoke expanding behind me, as bodies hit the floor. (LET THE BODIES HIT THE FLOOOOOOOR) Before me stands a broken man. His tower gone. His people routed. His very existence shattered as everything he claimed to be fell in snips around him.

"Tony Stark." I say the name, my voice reverberating as I claim the remainder of the building he had taken up residence in. Safe, everyone thought.

"What do you want?" A question, not a demand. He was learning. But he hadn't paid.

"Call me karma, call me debts, call me anything but empty threats."

The walls billowed out smoke, cosmic stars and forces swirling and spilling out from the abyss until they wrapped around him. Into him.

He didn't scream only because I didn't want him to. I turned, stepping through the vortex of smoke and ethereal remnants of what once was.

Tony Stark would live. Barely. But not before he spent an eternity living through the hell he'd unleashed on people.

He needed to suffer as they had. Because what was living with yourself if not despair persevering.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Power: [Nighty Night](https://worm.fandom.com/wiki/Nighty_Night#Abilities_and_Powers)
> 
> Author: 8


	27. Chapter 27

“But what is grief if not love perservering?” I asked. 

“That...that’s beautiful, I’ve never thought about it like-“

“No, really, what is it? My father literally destroyed any concept of genuine emotion in me and I have no clue what grief means. Sometimes I go to hospice centers and put patients in my network just so I can see what death is like.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Power: Darlene Vasil
> 
> Author: MarcoFro5


	28. Chapter 28

“My brother Loki had ice powers.”

“I know, buddy, I know.”

There was a sound like a balloon inflating as Thor filled a fresh tissue. Channeled through his headset microphone, it exploded in my ears like a collapsing star. I winced.

“My brother Loki was an understanding person too.”

“You’re damn right he was,” I agreed. “He ‘understood’ you like the back of his hand.”

“Now all I have left of him is my tears and my memories,” said Thor. “Mere water and impulses. I am a fool.”

“But what is water, if not ice persevering?” I mused.

“Those are truly wise words. Thank you, my friend,” the god of thunder said. “Now, do you have a green shotgun? The storm is coming and we stand far outside the zone.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Power: Winter
> 
> Author: Fishtail


	29. Ransom

"JARVIS?"
    
    
    "Yes sir."

"Play the message for me again."
    
    
    "Of course, sir."

[> VIDEO LOG: 08967-23](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRW0e5FqNjI)

_Two figures are on camera. They have Pepper Potts, and she's tied to a chair, unconscious. They're laughing._

_One holds up a piece of paper to the camera, with a QR code._
    
    
    "Shall I read the encoded message again, sir?" 

"Yes."
    
    
    DEAR PESKY PLUMBERS!
    
    
    THE KOOPALINGS AND I HAVE KIDNAPPED PEPPER POTTS, AND SHE IS NOW A PERMANENT GUEST AT ONE OF OUR SEVEN KOOPA HOTELS!
    
    
    I DARE YOU TO FIND HER IF YOU CAN!

"Has anything come up for Koopalings?"
    
    
    "No, sir. And these are very obviously members of the Unavengers."

"Which is the name we gave them."
    
    
    "Yes, sir."

"But they signed the note as Slaughterhome Nine."
    
    
    "Yes, sir."

"And there aren't actually nine of them?"
    
    
    "Not that we can tell, sir."

"Fuckin' insane."
    
    
    "What is supervillainy, if not insanity persevering?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Power: N/A
> 
> Author: EtchJetty


	30. Chapter 30

Phil Coulson had a cool car. Had. Mine now.

In theory, I could have just stolen a plane or something instead, I wouldn't have had any more of an idea how to fly it, _and_ wouldn't have a disturbingly persistent superspy peeved at me...

The car growled under me, shivering and shifting under my power to twirl lazily through the air, diving down to water level.

I stretched an arm out, ignoring the belts straining to hold me in place, enjoying the feeling of the water running through my fingers, the roof down and the wind in my hair.

Worth it. Who needed to learn how to drive, anyway?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Power: [Mockshow](https://worm.fandom.com/wiki/Mockshow#Abilities_and_Powers)
> 
> Author: tearlessNevermore


	31. Reflections

There was always a pillar for people. Societal, militaristic, hope. All that kind of trash.

When one crumbled, people either fell with it or scrambled to a new one.

You could see it all around us, now. Pillars across the globe... Shattered. Crumbling. Pockmarked and wobbling. They could never hold everyone. And so I made my own.

Pillars of truth. Of reality. Of despair. When people saw truth, and it hurt, they either broke or became stronger. And I didn't want the weak. I collected a following, small at first, around these pillars from the twisted remains of a pillar I had helped break.

Tony Stark. Once thought to be a great pillar, a standing virtue of the might of mankind. I held his house, shaping it to my desires. Not that he needed it, being dead and all.

Here I built my collection up. My impenetrable fortress, unless you wanted to start a war anyways. I brought the truth with me. That good men can't exist upon the back of bad actions. That forcing action and sweeping the effects under the rug weren't acceptable.

That people weren't just pawns in a game.

We toppled empires and kings, gods and demons, and set up our own world. Our own order.

The relics of an age past could bow to us for all I cared. The time to rise was now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Power: Nighty Night
> 
> Author: 8


	32. The Countess

"Five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred minutes," I sang. The frequency of my voice pitch-perfect, the tempo of the song utterly even. Everything quantified, every quantification laid out in front of me. Simple.

Arriving here had spread a world of numbers out in front of me. A world of beautiful, perfect mathematics, marred only by the cold and imperfect systems that crushed the proles under poverty and opression. A world like a broken clock, economic cogs jarring against each other, the sound of monetary dissonance grating against my ears every time I so much as glanced at the financial news. Resources vanishing, wasted, people who need them starving and going bereft, and all of it spread out before me in exacting statistical detail.

The world was a mess, and I needed to worm my way up into it until I could execute it and restore its functions to something which worked for the people. To reduce those wealthy bigots down and prime this world for a new, more equanimous age. And, you know, also probably stop Thanos or whatever. That was probably a good thing to leave on my itinerary.

And all I needed was what Stark had. And all I needed was a few small passwords and a laptop. And all I needed was a quick geometry lesson to evade the sight cones of everyone in the electronics store, and then to sit back in Starbucks and get to work.

And all I needed was to guess a six-digit password from some poor Starkian understudy who couldn't be bothered to remember anything longer.

"How do you measure a year in the life?" I sang. And then, I entered the six digits of that employee's anniversary date. The answer was, of course, love.

I leaned back on the couch and crossed my legs leisurely. Form-fitting black dress, high heels, diamond earrings, perfect hair, perfect makeup. In one hand, cocked at a precise fifteen-degree angle, was a glass of red grape juice. I didn't like wine.

The music in the penthouse faded out. Ah, yes. Judging by the competence of Stark's accountants, the flight speed of his suit, and the location of the skyscraper, his cue should be right about now.

Right on time, Iron Man stuck a perfect three-point landing on my balcony. Man sure knew how to make an entrance.

"Did you really think I wasn't going to find you? You understand who I am, right? Tony Stark? Billionaire? Genius?"

I gave him a languid grin and swished my grape juice. "Capitalist? Lobbyist? War criminal? Oh, I'm all too aware, Mr. Stark."

"Then you know what happens to people who steal from me. You seem like a smart girl. Just surrender and this won't have to get messy."

"Oh, but Mr, Stark," I said, "For all your bragging about your genius, I think you might need a light refresher on the basics."

The eyes on Stark's helmet narrowed. In the background, the song I'd set up began to play. I uncrossed my legs.

"Let me tell you about what happens when you're just so, so obsessed with [biggering](https://youtu.be/BpgUQYARIsw)."

Tony rocketed forward. I flipped up and over the couch, palming a series of long thin needles from the holster on my thigh, under my dress. A flick, a perfect shot into a chink in his armor, and the geometry mixed with a few quick on the fly physics calculations and some vectors sent Tony veering to one side away from me and crashing into the reinforced wall of the penthouse.

I stood tall, over six feet in my heels, as Tony gathered himself and assessed the damage. The chords boomed.

"At first you didn't realize, that you needed all this stuff." What else would I do when fighting an Avenger while wearing high heels, but sing?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Power: Number Man
> 
> Author: Topaz


	33. Chapter 33

Fighting sucked. Not that I had a choice, I never did, really... if this could even be called a fight.

A battle? A war? A slaughter. A nightmare. 

Hell.

Rockets barked, shattering walls and lives, filling the air with smoke and dust. I thought I heard a sob cut short.

This was a shelter, we were supposed to be safe, supposed to be able to _rest_ , we had nothing. We _were_ nothing, to them. Worse than nothing.

People kept forgetting: HYDRA were literal fucking Nazis. They didn't need to a reason to kill us, barely needed an excuse. Even if they were wearing SHIELD emblems.

A soldier rounded the corner levelling their weapon at me, faceless. Who used a fucking scifi rocket launcher on a single unarmed person?

The weapon barked, the rocket useless crunching on unyielding stone.

I stood, armoured now, the soldier firing over and over.

They wanted a massacre. They had their fill, now I'd give them a riot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Power: [Stonewall](https://worm.fandom.com/wiki/Stonewall#Abilities_and_Powers)
> 
> Author: tearlessNevermore


	34. And Then There Was None

One. Two. Three. Four..... Scream.

"Oh, dear, me my oh whatever shall we do with you," I sang in an offkilter, out of tune noise. I knew I couldn't sing. But really, who cares when you're holding them hostage?

I gave a light tap on the man's cheek as he screamed again. "See, that's the problem. It's not good manners, you see. I'm not going to kill you. Scar the every living fuck out of you, perhaps, but not kill." I let the statement hang for a moment before I lean in close, letting my breath tickle his ear. "You're not worth killing." The phrase is murmured, tantalizing in its promise and defeating in its meaning. Toxic masculinity battling with self preservation...

It was a treat.

"You see, change requires sacrifice. This building, for example, will soon give up it's tech and money to me so that I may give them to my friends who need them. You all will sacrifice a tiny bit of sanity to that end and to be bait and a warning both to the so-called heroes." I laughed, ending the sound abruptly. "The heroes sacrifice a little bit of their so-called ability to protect. They admit weakness. They admit defeat. And you see, that feeling lingers. When boots are being licked and blood money runs rampant, everyone cheers. But when that blood runs red instead of gold? Everyone wakes up."

I caress a wall, the inky darkness swirling, cosmic matter changing in an instant into a vortex consuming the little bitty dots of light. The door beneath gives into my whim, caving and collapsing as purple and blue swish together in the air.

I enter with a hint of swagger for the surveillance system I let be untouched by my power. By my control. A small wink, a little blown kiss, and I touched my ear. "The vault is all yours, luv. Make sure to swing it around for the cameras on the way out."

Not that I was leaving yet. I had more work to do.

More pillars to crash.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Power: Nighty Night
> 
> Author: 8


	35. Chapter 35

“Agent Sitwell. Can we talk?” I ask.

Three talking heads swivel to regard me. What is it with these secret agent types? They dress the same, they walk the same, they even spout the same lies.

“Sorry, er…”

“Fisch, sir, Melody Fisch.” I have to stifle a smirk at that one.

He smiles. “Sorry, Agent Fisch, I’m headed to a meeting right now with some colleagues. Can I catch you on the way out?”

“Sure thing. Let me give you my contact,” I chirp. I lean in to murmur in his ear, “hail Hydra.”

I catch a flash of recognition in the other agents’ eyes. Recognition, not surprise or fear. That’s enough for me.

Ten minutes later, I stroll out of the Triskelion. The sounds of gunfire and screams have faded into howls of icy winds. Sure, it wasn’t the cleanest job. Maybe I caught a few loyal SHIELD agents along the way.

Well, being better than Nazis is a pretty low bar. I won’t lose much sleep over that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Power: Winter
> 
> Author: Fischtail


	36. Jab (1)

I felt not too dissimilar from a pincushion. Every step, saunter, and shake sent a sort of not pain shooting through me. This feeling of things shifting inside of me that hadn't and shouldn't be there. It didn't hurt, but it was like wearing a big woolen sweater that sat rubbing up against your guts. No one could have told by looking at me but it felt like I'd shoved my body full of needles. 

A feeling that wasn't too dissimilar from the truth.

A passing glance at a window and it struck me by how different I looked. I'd skimped on a lot of the combat stuff to give myself time to work on my appearance. I'm glad to see my passenger let me keep my priorities straight. So many things shaved away and redone. My surgery was performed while fully awake and cognizant, through a drug designed to stop feeling but not affect brain function. You couldn't even tell there were scars which had been purposeful on my part. I was supposed to blend in after all.

I tilted my Gainsborough hat a bit off center and gave a spin in my flower shirtdress. I pulled it off.

A man was sitting at the table. His glasses were tilted down as he looked over the book in front of him. Not too distracted to not glance up when I angled my way towards him.

"Jasper Sitwell?" I asked with a smile.

He looked me up and down. "Do I know you Miss...?"

I leaned a hand out, feeling a needle shift inside my arm. If I remembered correctly, this was the one loaded with a painful neurotoxin. 

"No, but you will."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Power: [Bonesaw](https://worm.fandom.com/wiki/Bonesaw#Abilities_and_Powers)
> 
> Author: Chartic


	37. Hail This, Bitch

I could feel it.

The way the power flowed through me, demanding - not begging - to be let out. To be used. To dominate.

Power on a galactic scale sized down to avoid tearing me into pieces. I could feel the way out writhed beneath my skin. The demand.

This was what I was made for.

I could have ran, but that would've given up the play. Made this a little more complicated when it didn't need to be. This was my chance to make my mark in a way that no one else could. Because no one else was like me.

The base was, to everyone else, an office building. Filled with pencil pushers and desk jockeys. But I knew better. Their little operation.... Well, they say the best way to slay a Hydra was with fire. But I figured pure obliteration and domination would be fine. I'm sure there'd be fire involved anyways eventually.

I strolled through the glass doors fluidly, letting the doors close slowly behind me as I looked over my glasses at the room. A guard nearby, of little concern, and a whole lot of trash that needed taking it.

The guard, as expected, approached slowly seemingly at ease. No doubt he was looking to pull a weapon at a moments notice. Not fast enough though, Nazi Paul Blart.

As soon as he was in range I flicked my wrist, the sound of thunder as the very air between us warped and rippled and tore asunder. A heartbeat and there was nothing left. Not of him, or the floor he'd stood on.

Already others were standing, preparing, making calls. But it didn't matter. I was already walking forward. Thunder and bangs, distortions and obliteration. They were twigs for my wood chipper. Pests beneath my feet, begging to be squashed.

Pleading for mercy.

I didn't feel very merciful towards Nazis though.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Power: [Damsel of Distress/Ashley Stillons](https://worm.fandom.com/wiki/Damsel_of_Distress#Abilities_.26_Powers)
> 
> Author: 8


	38. Jab (2)

"Ronan! You stand accused of crimes against Love and Justice!"

The bridge crew of the Dark Aster goggled at the girl who had just somehow just punched her way through the hull. More confusingly, she was unarmed and clad only in a form-fitting spacesuit.

Ronan rose from his throne. "You stand before an Agent of Thanos. Tell me who sent you, and your death shall be quick."

"I was sent by the hearts of all the little girls of the galaxy, crying out for justice!" the woman cried. "I am the defender of all who cannot defend themselves! I am the Pretty Nyaight whose sword is her shield and whose shields are unbreakable!"

"...What are you idiots waiting for? Shoot her!"

Lasers began to fly at the woman, but she didn't even try to dodge. Instead, a cloud of tiny, glittering shields began to form around her, a dazzling nebula of lasers and gleaming lights as she floated up into the air.

The fragments slowly flickered in and out, revealing the form of a... dress? With a hoop skirt? And cat ears on the top of her head?

"I am Constellation Warrior Catseye!"

Ever since I had gotten my passenger, I had gotten to learn quite a bit about blood. My passenger couldn't help but thrust about a million different ways to use it into my head, at even the sight of a papercut. I had beakers full of the stuff, tested ways it clotted and flowed. Even made a poison or too out of it. In essence you could say on the subject of hemorrhage I had leverage and no one was quicker in dealing with ichor. 

So I could say with complete certainty, whatever was pouring out of this blue man was not blood.

It was an odd color, subject to almost none of the basic properties, and probably tasted different but I wasn't so sure in my passenger's ability to counteract some strange space bacteria. I could be sure that it was nearly bouncing out of my head to figure out not only what this stuff was exactly but how this man worked.

An alien. A real, honest to god alien.

I needed to keep him alive. When was the next chance I'd be able to get an alien? Ludicrously low, I'm sure. And considering the mortal wound it looked like he took, I was probably the only person capable of doing so. I pushed my feelings aside about extraterrestrial life and had a group of spider bots scoot him up onto my operating table. In an hours time he was not only still alive, but likely going to make a complete recovery.

So what if I had opened his chest up a bit to get a look at the organs? A few electrical jolts were needed to get a glimpse of how they operated anyway. A tester had given a readout several minutes in to the exact composition of his blood and I was able to whip together a few extra gallons from some window cleaner and pina colada mix in the fridge. His heart was so interesting I nearly pulled the thing out, but realized that very well may turn this examination into an autopsy and I was here to save lives, not end them.

The bomb implanted into his spine was a safety measure. I wasn't stupid. Whoever this Ronan was, he very well may be dangerous.

"Is he still alive," Hestia asked.

"Of course! I had to simulate a few of the unnecessary measures to keep him living while the drugs is in his system to stop shock from taking hold. The breather is forcing him to inhale though, because he can't control his lungs. And I have the electrical bolts to stimulate heartbeats which yes his species does have! Just triple jolts instead of the usual jolt. And that thing is a kidney but the way his species filters out toxins...well the brain is working and he can think and feel so he's alive! I'm sure he very much wishes he wasn't though."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Powers: Narwhal, Bonesaw
> 
> Authors: Hestia (first section), Chartic


	39. Drugs and Candy

I felt more at home drowning than anywhere else.

That’s an exaggeration. I’m not drowning, not really. Gills had been the second thing I’d made in my lab (following a truly massive tank for my power eels) so there was no worrying about choking and pissing myself into an early grave. That, and I’m sure there've been moments in the before-shift life where I’d get comfortable (a hint of a smile hidden by rain, the scrape of alcohol and laughter on the back of my throat), but those were fantasies at best. Among the things I could actually experience these days, drifting alone among the depths, eyes insufficient to cut through the gloom, alone except for the cool pressure of countless fathoms...

After dialing down my nervous system to this side of a mussel, I imagined it felt like the sweet sleep imagined by Socrates in The Apology.

_you can remember that but not your brother’s name_

“Alyss.”

That was the end of peace.

“Yes, my king?” On a personal level, Namor struck me as more of an autocrat who’d bullshitted his way into royalty during a power vacuum, but I had no dog in Atlantan politics.

“The surface dwellers are dumping again. Discourage them.”

“Understood.” Namor preferred succinct, terse exchanges, occasionally peppered with honorifics, and the few times I’d forgotten that had been hard-to-forget verbal evisceration. 

_time be an eco terrorist, and useful for once_

I dialed down the voice in my head and swam for my squidmarine. Namor hadn’t given me a location, but the network of semi-psychic parasites would point me to where living things had been in the most pain recently, and that would be a good place to start.

I let the water drain in the airlock, enjoyed the few moment of near silence I had left in my day, and then made my way to the bridge.

“Luminescent to navigation,” I said to no one, turning on the displays with a thought to start my search of two-thirds of the world’s surface. “Wake up and smell the shellfish, it’s time to get to work.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Power: [Fishtank](https://worm.fandom.com/wiki/Fishtank#Abilities_and_Powers)
> 
> Author: T0PH4T


	40. Chapter 40

Gentle touches on the shoulder to grab attention. Left hand for yes, right hand for no. A firmer touch for a warning. All meanings extracted through vague feelings of force and placement of fingers. The closest I can come to communication. 

The others come and go, but I stay here worrying. 

Corporeality was a burden as much as a gift. so many things you could do without it and so many more things you lost. I would never have given it up if given the choice, but I hadn't, had I? 

There's only so much you can do as a sentient puff of air. 

Surveillance and sabotage, but the others’ powers are flashier. Stronger. Better. I am useless in all the ways they aren't. There's no need for intel when you're burning the building down. It's not pigheadedness, it's absolute certainty.

And still I worry. What will happen if they go. Will I be forgotten? Can I die? Or am I just meant to remain, hanging on. Until either my shard or myself gives out. I try not to think about it. Distract myself with menial chores. It works, some of the time.

The others can take care of themselves out there, but I'll take care of them when they're home. The least I can do for everyone trying to do the most. A touch on the cheek, I pull up their blanket, and whisper a voiceless goodbye.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Power: [Custodian](https://worm.fandom.com/wiki/The_Custodian#Abilities_and_Powers)
> 
> Author: Chartic


	41. Chapter 41

She was the oil and they were her cogs. Her chest heaved even though she wasn’t on a bike. Exhaustion by proxy, she supposed, looking out at the 48 people cycling on stationary bikes. To call this a spin class would be like calling the Olympics a field day. 

“Pick up the pace,” she shouted, taking a big bite out of a donut and tracing her tongue over each sprinkle. The sensation would spread from her tastebuds to those of the 48 others tied into her network in this sweaty and cramped room. She felt more than a handful lick their lips, mouths watering to the point she could practically taste their saliva. 

But a few sped up ever so slightly, hearts racing past the pack and calves burning a little harder than the others. 42, 13, 14, and 27. She wasn’t the only one taking note of the outliers as everyone else in the room felt that added effort. 19, 33, and 2 matched their pace a few seconds later and it didn’t take long for the others to get there. 

Woman O’ War smiled, a few others mirroring her in habit as if it was contagious. They were still fairly far off from field practice, but this was good. Necessary. They would all need the cardio, but that was only part of this. Their minds needed assimilation and sharpening as well. Less “I” and more “we” when it came to each action taken. There was simply nowhere to hide when the every other soldier could sense the precise amount of effort you were putting in.

The beauty in it was that no one was left behind, the outliers pulled the stragglers up to their level without them even realizing they were doing it l. Day by day, the pack got better and faster and smarter. 

Lost in thought, she bit her tongue while taking another bite. The 48 seemed to mind it more than she did, some wincing and even slowing down on the bikes as they felt a jolt of phantom pain. Yes, she had plenty of work ahead before they were ready to peddle this operation to S.H.I.E.L.D., but she’d get them there. No matter what it took.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Power: Darlene Vasil
> 
> Author: MarcoFro5


	42. Chapter 42

I slouched inside the glass cage, the hiss and hum and rattle of the helicarrier the only noise I could hear. My arms were bound, my legs shackled, and on the other side of the glass, Black Widow filed her nails, one eye on me at all times.

I wasn't sure how many days it had been-- tracking the meals seemed like too much effort. I felt diminished, exhausted, weak. I'd tried, dammit. I'd tried with everything I had. And now, here I was, a monster, a freak, all chained up and only given a slight slack in the leash when an acceptable target needed shredding.

One boogeyman can't bring down a system, sure. I could accept that. But what I couldn't accept was making me one of their lapdogs. Their threats. The world outside knowing that if you cross the establishment, they'll let the Kraken loose on them.

I just-- at this point, my desire to be free was perverse. There was no goal, no scheme, no ideal I would be fighting for. I just wanted that opening, that heartbeat of closed eyes, that moment where I could be full and free and a whirlwind of gnashing teeth and carving claws and legs whipping about. I could shred the helicarrier up until some nazi goon caught me with his eyes, and then my weak human body would be gunned down and I'd be free.

"I tried to advocate for you, you know," Black Widow said. "We gave Hulk a chance, figured it'd be a better option to give you a chance for good behavior-- or at least looser cuffs."

I huffed.

"They said you were too dangerous to risk it."

"They were right. I'd shove that chance so far up their asses they'd be puking up winning lottery tickets."

"Your quips are getting less coherent," Black Widow observed.

"Yeah, who gives a shit. None of your bosses give a shit about the mental health of their pet blender. They're just hard men making hard decisions so they can get hard enough to disappoint their wives."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Power: [Night](https://worm.fandom.com/wiki/Night#Abilities_and_Powers)
> 
> Author: Hestia


	43. sleeve

I keep so many secrets.

Dark memories I’ve sworn silence on, locked up for my own good. Beliefs, gossamers of horsehair-spun dreams, too tender for others to strain. Issues buried so deep even I forget them. I’ve hidden more since we got here. Scarier things than frustrations and fears. (and hopes.)

The worst escaped before I even woke up. 

I never confessed my true power, but everybody knows. I picture their reassurances a lot. Not as bad as bombs or cold scalpels or people torn to spacetime shreds, they’d say. Gross if you go all-out, but you'd never do _that_. It’s not mental, right?

It’s comforting to believe they’d react like that— But I remember the faces as I came to with discarded blankets floating around me. Hiding me in their shell. (I’ve never left it in my head; It's made of worse there.)

My second best kept secret: Dead of night, sleepless, I animated the stuffed kitten I’d bought for my birthday. Good for restless walks. Good practice with my power, innate as it is. 

I meandered with my little friend, imitating our adoptions. We wandered in pleasant hazes of leg-winds and shoulder climbs and quiet confessions into knitted fur, dancing around sleepless tinkers with handfuls of car innards. Without thinking, I drifted into their workspace.

Straight towards the morgue. (Power-guided? I tell myself so.)

I stopped dead on the step, chill punching far past skin. My kitten froze further in, frost flaking her colourful stripes. My power didn’t care the pods were closed, didn't care I hated knowing about _potential_. I ran and sought solace in my fascimile-kitten, then my power told me how—

Some things, I hide from myself. (That doesn’t mean I don’t miss them.)

The truth is, I despise my power. What it could do to people. I can't pretend I’m normal because it won’t let me forget. 

I hate my best kept secret: 

When the cannon fodder piles up, gives way for heavy hitters, my power _knows_ how to keep us out of harm’s way.

I know I couldn’t live with myself afterward.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Power: [Parian](https://worm.fandom.com/wiki/Parian#Abilities_and_Powers)
> 
> Author: tackeart


	44. One Teaches, Two Learn

People ran around at my command. A whole legion of humanity, some barely college age, others in their late 60. As many groups as S.H.I.E.L.D. could get their hands on. A whole contingent working tirelessly, writing reports, building technology, and listening to orders barked out by jackbooted men.

It made me feel sick.

I had forced myself to know each and every single one of their stories. Homeless people, picked up with an offer of steady employment. Kids listless in the world hoping for a chance at something greater. Those who had lost everything and had just given up. People who needed help. S.H.I.E.L.D. had picked them up and put them to work.

A man was grasping the console in front of him for dear life as he stuttered out a response to an agent in a suit. I had barely given him anything, a minor thinker power to look for bad possibilities, but he already was losing things.

"You're doing good work here," Fury said to my right.

"Yeah," I replied.

"With these tips and technology I think S.H.I.E.L.D. may finally be able to be able to make a dent on the global scale. Stop threats before they even have a chance to happen. The world's police with a crack team able to fight off the most powerful threat."

I nodded. A middle-aged woman was blankly staring at a screen. Was she pausing for a break or had something broken in her and she needed a new command to push her forward.

No prospects. No hope. She had wanted to do something. Help others. 

"I hope it will all be worth it."

Fury gave a vague reply and wandered off. Two guards flanked the doors, there for me more than my safety. I stared down at my students and plotted.

I had done this to them. It didn't matter under what duress. I would be getting them out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Power: Teacher
> 
> Author: Chartic


	45. Endgame

On instinct, Tony dialed Pepper.

"Hi," she said, picking up on the third ring. Always the third ring. "What's going on?"

"Had a nightmare," said Tony.

"Thanos again?"

"No," he said. "Different. I kept dying."

"Oh, god, Tony, that's horrible."

"And it was different each time, too. Once I got torn to pieces by some... superhuman I didn't recognize, another time I died in space before Danvers saved me... Sometimes I didn't even die. Sometimes these supers just came up to me and ruined my life or kidnapped you for no good reason at all."

"That's horrible, Tony, really. Have you talked to your therapist about this?"

"Skipped last week's appointment."

"What? Why?!"

"Was studying ancient Rome. Did you know they had aqueducts _and_ concrete before we did?"

"Tony..."

There was a knock on the door.

Tony decided to ignore it.

There was another knock.

Tony groaned.

"F.R.I.D.A.Y., show me who's outside."

"Yes, sir!"

It took Tony a minute to process what he was seeing.

"Pepper," he said, "I don't know if I woke up from the nightmare."

"Why would you think that?"

"Because," said Tony, as calmly as he could manage, "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Power: N/A
> 
> Author: EtchJetty


End file.
